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U.S. Army awards $146 million radar contract to Lockheed Martin Syracuse plant

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The U.S. Army has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. in Salina a $146 million contract for mobile radar systems that track incoming fire. The latest contract addition means the Army has ordered about $750 million worth of the Firefinder radars designed and built at the
Lockheed campus at Electronics Park in Salina.
(Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com)

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army has ordered an additional $146 million worth of mobile radar systems from Lockheed Martin Corp. in Salina, the latest big contract secured by a plant that almost closed last year.

The Army authorized Lockheed workers at Electronics Park to build 13 additional Firefinder radars, known in the business as AN/TPQ-53 radars. The mobile systems are mounted on the back of a truck, and can track incoming rocket, mortar and artillery fire.

The radars have been in demand by the Army since they were first deployed in 2010. In June, the Army awarded Lockheed Martin in Salina a contract for 19 of the radar systems worth $206.8 million. With the latest contract, the Pentagon has ordered about $750 million worth of Firefinder radars.

The Lockheed radars can detect enemy fire from any direction, predict where an incoming round will strike and indicate where the round originated. The Army has used the radars in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Department of Defense said all of the work on the new contract will be performed in Salina, where the radars are designed and built. The contract calls for 13 of the radar systems and 13 on-board spares. The work is due to be completed by November 30, 2016.

Lockheed Martin demonstrates new Army radarLockheed Martin demonstrated its new EQ-36 radar in October 2011 at the Association of the United States Army convention in Washington, D.C. Lockheed's Salina plant won a competitive contract to put the radars (now known as TPQ-53) into full production. (Video by Mark Weiner/The Post-Standard)

It was not immediately clear if the contract will lead to new jobs at the Salina plant, which employs about 1,600 people. Lockheed Martin is Onondaga County's largest for-profit employer. In the past, such contracts have helped maintain the existing workforce.

Lockheed's Electronics Park campus had been targeted for closing last year as part of a corporate consolidation plan. Lockheed announced in November that it would close four other plants in the United States, eliminating 4,000 jobs. The Salina plant was spared after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., learned about the draft plan and had private talks with Lockheed officials.

Today's Pentagon contract is at least the fifth awarded to the local plant since November.